Nova Scotia Community College
Nova Scotia Community College’s Truro Campus is a tight-knit community in central Nova Scotia. In addition to offering a full range of academic programs, the Campus has a sports centre, student residence, daycare and pre-school. The Truro Campus is one of the original campuses of Nova Scotia Community College and previously had physical barriers between two of the main halls making access between the buildings particularly difficult for those with mobility challenges.
Truro Campus Pedway for Accessibility
The Truro Campus Pedway was built with the inspiration of bringing increased accessibility to the Campus. The structure connects McCarthy Hall and Forrester Hall and was built with elevators at each end to provide users with greater access to key campus features. The project was completed in 2021 with funding support from the Employment and Social Development Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund.
The Pedway contributes to NSCC’s mission to provide equitable access to campuses for all students, staff and visitors and marks NSCC’s commitment to continual improvement. NSCC has a target to make all our campuses fully accessible by 2030 and is continuing to work towards opportunities to remove barriers and provide infrastructure that creates autonomy for all.
NSCC’s partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation
In 2018, Don Bureaux, President of Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) announced its partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) to deliver the British Columbia-based organization’s accessibility assessor training program in Nova Scotia – making it the second institution in Canada to offer this training. When the RHFAC training was piloted at NSCC, two staff members were enrolled and received their RHFAC Professional designation. Individuals are trained to verify the accessibility of buildings.
The Ivany Campus received RHF Accessibility Certified status with a rating of 72% on June 4th, 2019, making it one of three buildings in Nova Scotia to be certified. Having a building certified under the RHF Accessibility Certification means an institution has minimized barriers for people with various types of disabilities. The RHF Accessibility Certification is valid for five years. NSCC is continuing to work toward certifying additional campuses and plan to apply for certification for its news New Sydney Waterfront Campus which is expected to be completed in 2024.